A/N Yeah, I went there.

Goodbye Little Yellow Bird

Chapter One

"Jessica called."

Even before Beverly handed him the little pink sticky pad page with the message, Seth already knew Jessica was calling to cancel their plans for the evening. She had laid the groundwork for it the night before by mentioning her editor was hounding her for rewrites.

I'm sorry. I won't be able to make it this evening.

Driving over to her house, Seth knew exactly what he was going to say to her.

I paid good money for those tickets. You tell that editor of yours that if he doesn't like the book you wrote he doesn't have to be the one to sell it because believe you me, there are plenty of other people lining up to take his place. Now get your coat because we are going and I won't take no for an answer!

Letting himself in through the always unlocked kitchen door, Seth didn't see Jessica clacking away at the keys. What did immediately catch his eye was the decorative cardboard gift box just sitting there all by itself on the kitchen table.

It was the same kind of container she had used to pass out cookies the Christmas before last. Of course, it wasn't Christmas so Seth had to wonder.

"What do we have here?"

A care package for one of her many, many nieces or nephews perhaps?

Surely just one cookie gone missing wouldn't be noticed.

He had seen her bicycle by the back porch so he knew she was home. She would have heard his car when he arrived. Per usual, she would be coming downstairs to join him momentarily.

He didn't hear any footsteps yet. Glancing towards the doorway, he made sure the coast was clear before tip-toeing over to the table.

Anticipating fudge, maple sugar cookies, or perhaps Jessica's homemade gingerbread, Seth opened the box.

The wind out of his sails, with a frown, Seth put the top of the box back on and took off his hat.

Rather unnecessarily, he poked his head into the parlor to confirm.

Returning to the kitchen, rather than go looking for her, Seth gave Jessica time to come down when she was ready.

OoOoO

When she came to join him not too long after, her eyes were red-rimmed, but she was dry eyed … or at least she was until she glanced down at the box on the table.

Seth offered her his handkerchief.

Taking the handkerchief, she asked him. "Didn't Beverly give you my message?"

His bluster long gone regarding the tickets, Seth simply offered her his condolences. "I'm sorry. I know Frank was the one to give you that bird."

Dabbing at her eye, Jessica told him. "No, not really."

Before he could think better of it, Seth started to contradict her. "I thought Grady told me his uncle gave him to you for your anniversary?"

"Frank gave me a bird for our twenty-third anniversary. When that bird died, Grady replaced him."

A sniffle later, she added. "But then I think you already knew that, because as I recall, Grady had taken the train to get here to look after me when I threw out my back and he would have needed a car to get to the store in Craggy Neck to get another one. "

Rather than deny it, Seth admitted. "I have no earthly idea how I got roped into that. It was all Grady's idea."

Grady had been so upset about the bird - one of his uncle's last gifts to Jessica - dying on his watch. He hadn't wanted to tell her.

"And actually … I stayed here to keep you company so you wouldn't notice Grady was gone. Amos was the getaway driver."

"Grady's a sweet boy."

"Yes, he is." Seth agreed.

She dabbed at her eye again before telling him. "This isn't even the one Grady gave me. This is the one Eve substituted that time you and I went to Los Angeles for that debacle of a movie premiere."

The less said about Ross Hayley's J.B. Fletcher's The Corpse Danced At Midnight … Now With Zombies, the better.

After Ross Hayley had been released from prison, on a less than shoestring budget, he had finished his very, very loose retelling of Jessica's 1st novel.

Much to her chagrin, not only had Jessica not been able to prevent the film from being released, she had been contractually obligated to attend the premiere and multiple other promotional appearances for the film. Even Perry Mason himself hadn't been able to get her out of that.

The film had actually been a relative commercial success despite, or perhaps because of, its notoriety. At least once a month, the movie house in Bangor still played it as part of a double feature accompanied by something called The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Jessica's musings brought him back to the current problem.

"Eve did a perfect job of matching the coloring and markings, but she didn't account for the fact that only the male birds truly sing."

Seth shook his head. Knowing Jessica and being aware of just how observant she was, exactly how had Grady or Eve actually believed they were going to get away with that?

Clearing his throat, Seth tipped his head towards the box and asked. "Where would you like to …?"

"I thought somewhere in the garden."

"How about under the rhododendron?" Seth suggested.

Jessica nodded.

After, as he was washing up at her kitchen sink, Jessica looked at the clock and suggested. "We should leave now or we'll be late."

Having completely forgotten about the tickets, Seth dismissed the idea. "Nevermind that."

Instead, he suggested a quiet dinner in - if she was up for it.

"No, let's go. I can't promise I'll be good company - in fact, I can almost assure you I won't, but it will be good to get out of the house."

Seth didn't argue. "As you wish."

tbc

A/N I know I have done a terrible thing. Forgive me?